Portable vertical support

ABSTRACT

A tripod having support legs which automatically open and close when the tripod is placed on a support surface and removed from the support surface, respectively, and having a self-contained battery. The tripod includes a telescopic center post, a plurality of downwardly extending support legs, a plurality of coupling links pivotally attached at one end to a bottom end of the center post and pivotally attached at the other end to the support legs, and a battery positioned within a hollow center of the center post. The pivotal attachment of the coupling links to the support legs is offset towards an outer edge of the support legs to bias the support legs outwardly and facilitate the automatic opening of the support legs. The outward biasing of the coupling links and support legs allows the support legs to close to a vertical position parallel and adjacent to the center post while allowing the legs to automatically open when the tripod is placed on the support surface. The battery is contained within the center post and includes an electrical cord extending within the center post from the battery to the top of the tripod. The weight of the battery and the telescopic configuration of the center post cause the support legs to automatically close when the tripod is lifted from the support surface. A base is mounted to the bottom end of the center post and unscrews to allow access to the battery.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Technical Field

Generally, the invention relates to a vertical support. Particularly,the invention relates to a tripod having support legs whichautomatically open and close when the tripod is placed on a supportsurface and lifted from the support surface, respectively, and having aself-contained battery. Specifically, the invention relates to a tripodhaving a telescopic center post on which the support legs are pivotallymounted and in which the battery is contained, and a plurality ofcoupling links pivotally attached at one end to a bottom end of thecenter post and pivotally attached at the other end to the support legswhereby the pivotal attachment to the support legs is offset toward anouter edge thereof causing the automatic opening of the tripod.

2. Background Information

Tripods are commonly used in the video and photographic industries tosupport and stabilize equipment such as cameras, lights, and backgroundscreens. Typically, tripods include at least three pivotally mountedsupport legs movable between open and closed positions. In the openposition, the support legs extend angularly downward with the three legsbeing separated by approximately 120 degrees. The support legs stabilizethe tripod in a vertical position and prevent movement of the videoequipment during use thereof. The tripods often have telescopic legs ora telescopic center post to allow a user to adjust the height of theequipment being mounted on the tripod. The legs of the tripod pivot tothe closed position whereby all three legs extend generally adjacent andparallel to one another.

One problem with this type of prior art tripod is the time intensive andawkward process of pivoting the support legs to the open position. Eachsupport leg must be independently moved to the open position andtelescopically adjusted to the proper height, often while the user iscarrying expensive and fragile video or photographic equipment. When theuser has adjusted one of the three legs to the desired position, thetripod must be balanced on that leg while the user simultaneouslyadjusts the remaining legs creating an unbalanced and unstablesituation. Similar problems are encountered when moving the legs fromthe open position to the closed position.

Several prior art tripods have been developed which disclose a mechanismto easily open the support legs of a tripod or similar structure. Forexample, U.S. Pat. No. 609,295 discloses a tripod for supporting abicycle having three support legs pivotally mounted to a center post andmovable between an open and closed position. The support legs arepivotally connected to an upper sleeve which slides along the centerpost to open and close the tripod. A set screw is attached to the sleeveto retain the legs in an adjusted position.

U.S. Pat. No. 1,456,356 discloses a rack having a center post with foursupport legs pivotally mounted to a runner. As the runner slides downthe post, the legs pivot to a divergent position. A plurality of bracesattach each support leg to an adjacent support leg and to the centerpost.

U.S. Pat. No. 2,709,560 discloses a tripod having upper and lowertelescopically engaged cylinders with a compression spring extendingwithin the cylinders. Three support legs are pivotally mounted to acollar which slides vertically along the outer surface of the lowercylinder to move the support legs between open and closed positions.Each support leg includes a telescopic section which allows the lengthof each leg to be independently adjusted. The coil spring supports acamera and the like in a relatively floating position to allow thecamera to be easily raised or lowered with only a small amount of effortto be applied in the direction of desired movement.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,696,856 discloses a swivel standard for portableprojection screens having tripod legs pivotally mounted on a topbracket. The bracket is loosely slidable along a center post and opensand closes the support legs as the bracket slides downward and upward,respectively, along the center post.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,841,594 discloses a collapsible projection screen whichis supported by a tripod base having three collapsible support legspivotally mounted to an upper collar. The collar slides vertically alonga center post to open and close the support legs. A bracing link ispivotally attached to each leg and to a stationary bottom collar.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,705,251 discloses a self-erecting tripod apparatushaving three outwardly extending legs which are attached to a lower rodwhich telescopically engages an upper sleeve intermediate the threelegs. When the center rod is lowered onto a support surface, the supportlegs are automatically extended to an outward open position and when theapparatus is lifted from the support surface the support legs willcollapse to a closed position under the influence of gravity. Avertically slidable collar extends around the center rod and includes aplurality of links pivotally mounted to the collar and to the supportlegs. The support legs move between the open and closed positions as thebottom collar moves upwardly and downwardly, respectively, along thecenter rod.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,826,187 discloses a collapsible monopod cart having aframe with a pair of wheels and camera mounting monopod which is offsetforwardly from the axis of the wheels. The monopod has a selectivelyextensible and retractable ground engaging leg assembly which, whenextended, forms a polygonal stabilizing base in conjunction with thewheels. The cart further includes equipment supporting surfaces andenclosure members which allow a user to carry and protect equipment onthe cart even when in the collapsed position.

Although these tripods and supporting devices are adequate for thepurpose for which they are intended, all but one of these prior arttripods require some degree of manual adjustment to move their supportlegs between the open and closed positions. Only U.S. Pat. No. 4,705,251discloses a tripod which automatically opens when the tripod is placedon a support surface and automatically closes when the tripod is liftedfrom the support surface. One problem with the '251 patent is that thelegs must be angled slightly outwardly even when the tripod is in theclosed position biasing the legs toward the open position to facilitatethe automatic opening thereof If the legs of the '251 tripod were toextend vertically adjacent the center post when in the closed position,the downward pressure applied when the tripod is placed on a supportsurface will not be directed outwardly to automatically open the supportlegs.

The tripod of the present invention improves upon the '251 patent byoffsetting the pivotal attachment of the coupling links to the supportlegs to bias the legs outwardly while allowing the support legs to pivotto a vertical position parallel and adjacent to the center post when inthe closed position. By allowing the support legs to close to a verticalposition, the tripod of the present invention requires less space thanthe '251 tripod to store and transport.

Another problem that photographers and videographers encounter whenusing various video equipment on a tripod is that the video equipmentsuch as video cameras and lights require an external battery to operatefor extended periods of time. Conventionally, the user of the videoequipment would carry the battery around his or her shoulder with anelectrical cord extending from the battery to the video equipmentmounted on the tripod. Often the user will forget that the user isconnected to the tripod by the electrical cord and will step away fromthe tripod pulling the tripod over and possibly damaging the expensivevideo equipment mounted thereon. Another method used to connect thebattery to the video equipment is to strap the battery directly to thetripod using, for example, duct tape. This method puts the tripod in anunbalanced configuration allowing the tripod to be easily knocked overwhen bumped.

Therefore, the need exists for a tripod having support legs whichautomatically open and close when the tripod is placed on a supportsurface and when removed from the support surface, respectively, whichallows the support legs to close to a vertical position parallel andadjacent to the center post when in the closed position, and which has aself-contained battery which maintains the balanced configuration of thetripod.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Objectives of the invention include providing an improved tripod havingsupport legs which automatically open and close when the tripod isplaced on a support surface and when removed from the support surface,respectively.

Another objective of the invention is to provide such a tripod with aself-contained battery for powering the equipment mounted on the tripod.

Another objective is to provide such a tripod in which theself-contained battery maintains a balanced and stable configuration ofthe tripod.

A further objective of the invention is to provide such a tripod inwhich the support legs extend vertically, parallel and adjacent to acenter post of the tripod when in the closed collapsed position; and inwhich the tripod requires a relatively small amount of space to storeand transport.

A still further objective is to provide such a tripod which is free ofsprings and the like; and which uses the force of gravity toautomatically close the support legs.

Another objective is to provide such a tripod in which coupling linksextend between the support legs and the center post; and in which thecoupling links are offset slightly outwardly to facilitate the automaticmovement of the support legs to the open position when the tripod isplaced on the support surface.

A further objective of the invention is to provide such a tripod inwhich an electrical cable extends within the center post from thebattery to a position adjacent to the video equipment being mounted onthe tripod.

Another objective is to provide such a tripod, which achieves the statedobjectives in a simple, effective and inexpensive manner, and whichsolves problems and satisfies needs existing in the art.

These objectives and advantages are obtained by the tripod of thepresent invention, the general nature of which may be stated asincluding a vertical support for supporting battery powered objectscomprising: a generally tubular and substantially hollow center posthaving a top and a bottom; a battery positioned within the center post;a mount attached to the top of the center post and adapted for mountingthe object to the top of the post; and, an electric cord extending fromthe battery to a position adjacent the mount, said electrical cord beingadapted to connect to the object being supported by the center post.

These objectives and advantages are also obtained by the tripod of thepresent invention, the general nature of which may be stated as alsoincluding a vertical support for supporting battery powered objectscomprising: a generally tubular and substantially hollow central posthaving a top and a bottom; a first pivot; at least two legs having aninner edge and an outer edge attached at the first pivot to the hollowcentral post whereby the legs are moveable between open and closedpositions; a second pivot carried by each leg; a coupling link attachedat one end to each leg at one second pivot; a third pivot for pivotallyattaching the other end of the coupling link to the central post; and,each second pivot positioned adjacent the outer edge of the respectiveleg.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Preferred embodiments of the invention, illustrative of the best modesin which applicant has contemplated applying the principles, are setforth in the following description and are shown in the drawings and areparticularly and distinctly pointed out and set forth in the appendedclaims.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the tripod of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view showing the base ofthe tripod of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the tripod of FIG. 1showing the support legs in a closed collapsed position;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary side elevational view similar to FIG. 3 showingthe support legs in an open position;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view similar to FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view showing the base of thecenter post;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view showing a secondembodiment of the base; and

FIG. 8 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of the base of FIG. 7.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The tripod of the present invention is indicated generally at 1 in FIG.1 and is shown supporting a light fixture 2. Tripod 1 generally includesa center post 4, three support legs 6 pivotally attached to center post4 and a pair of coupling links 8 pivotally attached to each support leg6 and pivotally attached to center post 4.

Center post 4 includes a lower tubular housing or section 12 (FIGS. 3and 5) and an upper tubular sleeve or section 14 which telescopicallyengages lower tubular section 12. Upper tubular section 14 has adiameter smaller than that of lower tubular section 12 and is slidablydisposed within a top end 16 of lower tubular section 12. A base 18(FIG. 2) is attached to a bottom end 20 of lower tubular section 12 andincludes three outwardly extending feet 22, the centers of which areseparated from one another by approximately 120 degrees. Feet 22 areconnected to one another by an inwardly curved surface 24. Three curvedstops 26 extend upwardly from a top surface 28 of base 18. Stops 26align with feet 22 and support lower tubular section 12 thereon (FIG.6). A cylindrical bore 29 is formed centrally in top surface 28 of base18 between stops 26. An externally threaded nipple 30 having an annularflange 32 and a bottom cylindrical bushing 34 extends upwardly from topsurface 28 of base 18. Bore 29 is complimentary in shape to bushing 34to receive bushing 34 therein allowing annular flange 32 to abut topsurface 28.

Lower tubular section 12 is formed with an inner hollow center bore 40(FIG. 6) which receives a cylindrical nut 42 adjacent bottom end 20 oflower tubular section 12. Nut 42 has an internally threaded lowersection 44 and an outwardly tapered upper bore 46. Nut 42 is securedwithin inner bore 40 by a screw 48 which extends through the side wallof lower tubular section 12 and which is tightened into the side wall ofcylindrical nut 42. Threaded section 44 of nut 42 receives nipple 30 ofbase 18 to secure lower tubular section 12 centrally on base 18. Bottomend 20 of lower tubular section 12 abuts and rests on stops 26 of base18 forming a gap 50 between lower tubular section 12 and top surface 28of base 18.

An adjustable ring 54 (FIG. 3) is slidably disposed around upper section14 of center post 4. Ring 54 includes a cylindrical central portion 56(FIG. 5) which extends around upper tubular section 14, a usualadjustment knob 58 which is used to retain ring 54 in an adjustedposition and three pairs of outwardly extending ears 60. Ears 60substantially align with feet 22 of base 18. Adjustable ring 54 has atop surface 62 which creates a U-shaped housing 64 with each pair ofears 60 (FIGS. 3 and 6). Top surface 62 of ring 54 includes a small lip63 which extends downwardly between pairs of ears 60 and a raisedannular projection 63a which is positioned around and adjacent to uppertubular section 14. Each support leg 6 is pivotally mounted within oneof housings 64 by a pivot pin 66. Pivot pins 66 extend between pairs ofears 60 and through support legs 6 adjacent the top end thereof.

Coupling links 8 are pivotally attached at a first end 72 thereof to thesides of feet 22 of base 18 by a pivot pin 74 (FIGS. 3 and 5). Couplinglinks 8 extend upwardly and are pivotally attached at a second end 76thereof to the respective aligned support leg 6 by a pivot pin 78. Inaccordance with one of the main features of the invention, couplinglinks 8 are attached to support legs 6 in an offset position (FIG. 5). Ahole 80 is formed in each support leg 6 and, as shown in FIG. 5, isoffset towards the outer surface or edge of support leg 6 to outwardlybias the attachment of coupling links 8 to support legs 6. Another hole81 is formed centrally in coupling links 8 at second end 76 thereofwhich axially aligns with offset hole 80 of legs 6 to receive pivot pin78 therethrough pivotally connecting couplings 8 to legs 6. The offsetattachment of coupling links 8 to support legs 6 bias the support legsand coupling links slightly outwardly (FIG. 5) and facilitate anautomatic opening of support leg 6 when tripod 1 is placed on agenerally horizontal support surface 84, as described below. The pivotalattachment of coupling links 8 between feet 22 and support legs 6 assistthe pivotal movement of support legs 6 toward and away from center post4 and retain support legs 6 in an aligned position with feet 22 of base18 and housing 64 of ring 54. A plastic end cap 82 extends within thelower end of each support leg 6 to support the legs on support surface84.

A tubular sleeve 88 is positioned within lower tubular section 12 ofcenter post 4 and is held therein by a screw 90. Tubular sleeve 88 hasan outer diameter which is slightly less than the inner diameter oflower tubular housing 12 allowing tubular sleeve 88 to slidably andsnugly fit within lower tubular housing 12 adjacent to and abutting theinner surface thereof. Screw 90 extends through the side wall of lowertubular housing 12 and is secured within the side wall of tubular sleeve88. Tubular sleeve 88 has an inner diameter slightly greater than theouter diameter of upper tubular sleeve 14 allowing upper tubular sleeve14 to slide vertically therein. Tubular sleeve 88 has a bottom end 94formed with a central circular opening 96 and a side hole 98. An innerbore 100 is formed centrally in tubular sleeve 88 which communicateswith opening 96 and hole 98 and which receives upper tubular section 14therein. A pair of diametrically opposed notches 102 are formed in theinner surface of bore 100 for receiving an end of a cylindrical rod 104which extends transversely across inner bore 100.

In accordance with another feature of the invention, a battery 110 ispositioned within lower tubular section 12 between tubular sleeve 88 andcylindrical nut 42. Baftery 110 is generally cylindrical in shape andhas a top positive end 112 and a bottom negative end 114. An electricalcord 120 extends vertically within center post 4 and includes a positivewire 122 connected to positive end 112 of battery 110 and a negativewire 124 which extends through hole 98 of tubular sleeve 88longitudinally along the outer surface of cylindrical shaped battery 110and connects to negative end 114 of battery 110. Wires 122 and 124 wraparound cylindrical rod 104 several times to prevent the wires frombreaking from their attachment to battery 110 when an upward verticaltension is applied to electrical cord 120 as described below. Anelectrical connector 126 connects wires 122 and 124 to a singleelectrical cord 120. Electrical cord 120 includes a coiled portion 128which allows electrical cord 120 to stretch vertically when tripod 1 isin the closed position.

Upper tubular section 12 may include several additional telescopicsections 130 with usual position adjustment mechanisms 132 (FIG. 1). Ahole 136 is formed in the top telescopic section 130 through whichelectrical cord 120 extends. An electrical connector 138 is attached tothe top end of electrical cord 120 to allow light fixture 2 or otherequipment such as photographic or video cameras to connect thereto. Ausual equipment mount 140 is attached to the top of tripod 1 formounting light fixture 2 thereon. Equipment mount 140 is swivelably andpivotably adjustable to allow light fixture to be adjusted to a desiredposition.

The bottom portion of tripod 1 is shown in FIG. 3 in a closed collapsedposition. Support legs 6 extend parallel and adjacent to center post 4within housings 64 of adjustable ring 54. Pivot pin 74 aligns with atransverse center of support legs 6 and each pair of coupling links 8extend adjacent to and sandwich one of support legs 6. Coupling links 8extend upwardly at a slightly outwardly offset angle to their attachmentto support legs 6. Adjustment knob 58 of adjustable ring 54 is tightenedto retain ring 54 to upper tubular section 14 at the position of FIG. 3.Support legs 6 are contained between ring 54 and base 18 with end caps82 of support legs 6 extending slightly above the top surface of feet22.

The offset attachment of coupling links 8 to support legs 6 bias supportlegs 6 outwardly when tripod 1 and particularly base 18 thereof isplaced on support surface 84, the weight of upper tubular section 14,the equipment mounted thereon, and the slidable telescopic engagement ofupper tubular section 14 with tubular sleeve 88 creates a downwardpressure in the direction of arrows A (FIG. 4). The downward pressure inthe direction of arrow A causes upper tubular section 14 to slidedownwardly into tubular sleeve 88 applying a downward pressure on theoffset attachment of coupling links 8 to support legs 6 at pivot pin 78.As upper tubular section 14 slides downwardly, the rigid attachment ofadjustment ring 54 pushes support legs 6 downwardly applying a downwardpressure at the offset outwardly biasing the pivotal connection ofcoupling links 8 at pivot pin 78. The pivotal connection of couplinglinks 8 at pivot pin 74 allows coupling links 8 to pivot outwardly inthe direction of arrows B.

The downward pressure in the direction of arrow A causes coupling links8 to pivot outwardly in the direction of arrow B which, in turn, causessupport legs 6 to pivot outwardly in the direction of arrow C. Uppertubular section 14 continues to slide downwardly within tubular sleeve88 in the direction of arrows A until end caps 82 of support legs 6contact support surface 84 retaining tripod 1 in an open and stableposition (FIG. 4).

Tripod 1 is easily and automatically closed by grasping upper tubularsection 14 at a position above adjustment ring 54 and lifting tripod 1upwardly off of support surface 84. When tripod 1 is lifted upwardly,the weight of lower tubular section 12 and battery 110 causes tubularsleeve 88 to slide downwardly along upper tubular section 14. As tubularsleeve 88 and lower tubular section 14 slide away from adjustment ring54, the vertical force causes support legs 6 to pivot in a directionopposite of that of arrow C while coupling links 8 pivot in a directionopposite to that of arrow B until legs 6 and coupling links 8 return totheir closed positions of FIG. 3.

Eventually, battery 110 will lose its charge and must be recharged.Battery 110 may be recharged simply by plugging a recharger into cord120 thereby assuring that battery 110 need not be removed from lowertubular housing 12. However, battery 110 will eventually need to bereplaced as all batteries including rechargeable batteries eventuallyare unable to accept additional charge. To that end, battery 110 isremoved from lower tubular housing 12 (FIG. 6) by twisting lower tubularsection 12 and unscrewing cylindrical nut 42 from threaded nipple 30.When cylindrical nut 42 has disengaged nipple 30, lower tubular section12 will slide upwardly along upper tubular section 14. Screw 48 isremoved from its engagement with nut 42 and screw 90 is released fromits engagement with tubular sleeve 88. Bottom end 20 of lower tubularsection 14 is cleared from base 18 to allow access thereto. Nut 42 isremoved from lower tubular section 12 allowing battery 110 and tubularsleeve 88 to slide downwardly out bottom end 20. Negative wire 124 isremoved from negative end 114 of battery 110 and positive wire 122 isremoved from positive end 112 of battery 110 allowing a new battery 110to be connected to wires 122 and 124, or allowing existing battery 110to be recharged. Coiled portion 128 of electrical cord 120 allows cord120 to stretch downwardly a distance sufficient to allow access tobattery 110. Tubular sleeve 88, new battery 110 and cylindrical nut 42slide back into the respective positions within lower tubular section110. Screws 48 and 90 are replaced to their positions of FIG. 6 securingnut 42 and tubular sleeve 88, respectively, within lower tubular section12. Lower tubular section 12 is placed back on nipple 30 and cylindricalnut 42 is tightened until bottom end 20 of lower tubular section 12abuts stops 26.

A second embodiment of base 18 is shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 and isindicated generally at 144. Base 144 includes three outwardly extendingfeet 146 similar to feet 22 of base 18 which are formed integrally withan outer surface of lower tubular section 12. Base 144 is free ofcylindrical nut 42 (FIG. 8) and includes a threaded screw cap 148 whichis tightened into an internally threaded portion 150 of bore 100. A slot152 is formed in an outer surface of screw cap 148 to receive the end ofa screwdriver or coin which may be used to open screw cap 148. Base 144provides direct access to battery 110 and facilitates easy and quickreplacement thereof.

Additionally, the inventions included in tripod 1 may be utilized withany number of support legs 6 without departing from the spirit of thepresent invention.

Accordingly, support legs 6 of tripod 1 automatically open and closewhen the tripod is placed on support surface 84 and removed from supportsurface 84. The telescopically sliding engagement of upper tubularsection 14 within lower tubular section 12 and the offset attachment ofcoupling links 8 to support legs 6 causes support legs 6 to pivotoutwardly in an open position when tripod 1 is placed on the supportsurface. Conversely, the weight of battery 110 within lower tubularsection 12 and the telescopic engagement of upper tubular section 14within lower tubular section 12 causes coupling links 8 and support legs6 to automatically pivot from the open position to a closed collapsedposition. The offset attachment of coupling links 8 to support legs 6bias the coupling links at a slightly outward angle whereby a downwardpressure applied thereto causes the coupling links to pivot the supportlegs outwardly. The biasing of coupling links 8 on support legs 6 allowthe support legs to close to a vertical position parallel and adjacentto center post 4 requiring a relatively small amount of space to storeand transport tripod 1, unlike prior art tripods which require thesupport legs to extend outwardly at an angle even when the prior arttripods are in the closed position. Further, battery 110 is containedwithin center post 4 to provide an attractive and convenient batterystorage which maintains a balanced configuration of the tripod. Bases 18and 144 allow battery 110 to be easily replaced or recharged.

Accordingly, the improved tripod is simplified, provides an effective,safe, inexpensive, and efficient device which achieves all theenumerated objectives, provides for eliminating difficulties encounteredwith prior devices, and solves problems and obtains new results in theart.

In the foregoing description, certain terms have been used for brevity,clearness and understanding; but no unnecessary limitations are to beimplied therefrom beyond the requirement of the prior art, because suchterms are used for descriptive purposes and are intended to be broadlyconstrued.

Moreover, the description and illustration of the invention is by way ofexample, and the scope of the invention is not limited to the exactdetails shown or described.

Having now described the features, discoveries and principles of theinvention, the manner in which the improved tripod is constructed andused, the characteristics of the construction, and the advantageous, newand useful results obtained; the new and useful structures, devices,elements, arrangements, parts and combinations, are set forth in theappended claims.

I claim:
 1. A vertical support for supporting battery powered objectsabove a support surface comprising:a generally tubular and substantiallyhollow center post having a top and a bottom; the center post includinga lower tubular section and an upper tubular section; a tubular sleevedisposed within the lower tubular section and fixed with respect to thelower tubular section; the upper tubular section telescopically slidinginto the tubular sleeve; a battery positioned within the lower tubularsection below the tubular sleeve; a mount attached to the top of theupper tubular section and adapted to mounting the object to the top ofthe post; a rod carried within the tubular sleeve, the rod beingsubstantially perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the tubularsleeve; the tubular sleeve having a lower end, the lower end of thetubular sleeve having an opening and a side hole; an electric cordhaving a positive wire and a negative wire, the positive wire connectedto the battery and extending through the opening in the tubular sleeve,the negative wire connected to the battery, passing between the batteryand the lower tubular section, and through the side opening of thetubular sleeve; the electric cord being wrapped around the rod andextending up through the tubular sleeve and the upper tubular section toa position adjacent the mount, the electric cord being adapted toconnect to the object being supported by the center post; a base beingattached to the bottom of the lower tubular section, the base having anopening that allows the battery to be selectively removed from the lowertubular section; at least three legs attached at a first pivot to theupper tubular section and movable between open and closed positions,each leg having an inner edge and an outer edge; at least one couplinglink being attached at one end to each of the legs at a second pivot andattached at the other end to the base, each second pivot beingpositioned adjacent the outer edge of the leg; and the first pivot beingin a first position when the legs are in a open position and a secondposition higher than the first position when the legs are in a closedposition; the first pivot automatically moving toward the secondposition when the vertical support is lifted from the support surface.2. The vertical support of claim 1 which there are three legs.
 3. Thevertical support as defined in claim 1 wherein the electric cordincludes a coiled section.